On my way to becoming
a ‘geezer’
Roxann Garcia
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Last week I turned 23. The
year before I was 22 and the
year before that I was happily
21. And so on. Every year it
seems to me that the idea of
turning another year older
seems to slip my mind.
This year however, it really
hit me.
I haven’t been a teenager for
sometime, but now I’m quickly
on the way to my mid-twenties.
This fact blew my mind. I keep
forgetting that very important
detail that, holy hell, I’m
getting older. Not younger.
I guess my point is, for some
reason, I kept thinking “today”
was disposable to me and
“tomorrow” was just another
day. The idea that I’d get these
two back eventually, actually
occupied my thoughts.
How this idea even began
to occur is beyond me. I mean,

seriously, how could I think
for a second that I’d be 18 or
20 again?
I’m taking life for granted.
I thought I was going to be 22
forever. What. The. Heck?
Graduation
is
quickly
approaching; most of my
friends have already graduated
and
have
relocated
to
other cities and states after
successfully finding well-paying
job opportunities.
I’m scared of this idea. Is
anyone else? The “what ifs” seem
to linger around my thoughts at
night, thus making me dream
up scenarios where I’m dressed
like a homeless person living
out of friends’ apartments and
bumming rides with each one
as if they’re a city metro system.
The funny thing is, I’m not
even that old yet, and I’m sure
at this point this had begun
to sound like a whiny piece.
How about we look at it as
a reminder that we’re never
getting these few moments
back and, as clichéd as it might
seem, get your butt in gear.
Make
this
semester
worthwhile.
Look
into
studying abroad, getting active
on campus and building your

resume. Maybe even take up
more reading material like,
for example, another The Pan
American issue.
My old lady, Mom, said to
me recently, “Roxi, in two more
years, you’ll be 25.”
To which I replied with
disdain, “Oh no, and five years
after that I’ll be 30.”
Mom quickly responded,
“No, no. Don’t count that far.
Go by twos. After 25, you’ll
only be 27.”
She’s right, of course. But
her point struck a chord. I’m
not that old yet. And to be
honest, 30 doesn’t look so
bad. Life should be coming
together by then. Hopefully
it’ll go according to plan or,
if that’s not the case (which
I hope happens because, to
some extent, the unknown
sounds exciting), then I hope
it’s amazing.
And that I’m in good spirits
once I become a geezer, at
least. No one likes a grumpy
old person.
But then I always thought
that was a privilege one receives
once they reach that point…
in that case, watch out for
my cane.

Hello,
I am emailing you to please reconsider
your “Pan American” newspaper. You regularly
feature articles written completely in Spanish,
which plenty of students cannot understand
or read. The language of America in not
Spanish, it is disrespectful to have a university
(state sponsored) publishing documents
which every American cannot understand
and read.
If you insist on publishing these articles,
why do you not publish articles in Japanese?
Or Korean? How about Russian? There are
plenty of students who speak those languages,
but it is not America’s official language so
why is Spanish given such special treatment?
Perhaps having an article in a different
language (Japanese for example) and the rest
in English. Then, the next issue one article in
Russian and the rest in English. Or just leave it
all English. It’s the PAN AMERICAN, not the
pan MEXICAN.
Also just FYI, the KKK is not racist (just like
you claim you are not racist) because they don’t
hate other races, they simply LOVE white people
(the same way you guys LOVE Hispanics, see
the point?)
I hope that you can consider these points
and understand you are GREATLY offending
all Americans by having Spanish articles
without other languages, or at least keep
them all English so that EVERY student can
understand them.
Peace and Love,
Juan Gabriel Cruz

The opinions expressed in this letter
do not reflect the views of The Pan
American. We encourage any feedback
or Letters to the Editor.

Vol. 68, No. 7

THE PAN AMERICAN
1201 West University, CAS 170
Edinburg, Texas 78539
Phone: (956) 665-2541
Fax: (956) 316-7122
The Pan American is the ofﬁcial student
newspaper of The University of Texas-Pan
American. Views presented are those of the
writers and do not necessarily reﬂect those of
the paper or university.

The Pan American accepts
letters of 300 words or less from
students, staff and faculty regarding
recent newspaper content, campus
concerns or current events. We
reserve the right to edit submissions
for grammar and length. We cannot
publish anonymous letters or
submissions containing hate speech
or gratuitous personal attacks.
Please send all story ideas to
thepanamerican@gmail.com.
Individuals with disabilities wishing to
acquire this publication in an alternative
format or needing assistance to attend
any event listed can contact The Pan
American for more details.

October 13, 2011

3

VALLEY MARCHERS JOIN
NATIONAL MOVEMENT
OTHER
VOICES
Ryan Santos
Occupy McAllen
bystander
Works in the oil
industry
“You want to get ahead in
life? Get two jobs. Or like
that guy that just died (Steve
Jobs) come up with a good
idea. You make more money coming up with a good
idea than you can with a
lot of hard work. That is for
sure. These poor guys are
slightly misguided, but their
ideas are good. We do need
a change in government,
but they’re all misguided on
how to go about it. The good
thing is, they live in a country where there’s millions of
Americans who lived and
died to give them this opportunity, create what they
think is a
new beginning.”

Diego Escobari
UTPA professor
“The problem is that, even
if we achieve equality, that
would create a lot of efficiency problems because usually the people that have a lot
of money are going to be the
ones investing, they are the
ones that are going to have
the big firms to create employment. So at the end, we
call it in economics there’s
going to be a big tradeoff.
Do we want to have a big pie
and a few people are going to
have a large share of a pie, or
a smaller pie and everybody
gets the same share? That’s
the big problem.”

By Susan Gonzalez
The Pan American
As about 200 Occupy McAllen
marchers wound their way toward
Archer Park Oct. 6, they chanted
“They got bailed out. We got sold
out!” and “We are the 99 percent!”
Brittany Perez, a UTPA
sophomore
in
business
administration, explained what
these chants meant.
“We were cheated out of the
bailouts from big corporations,
the 401Ks my family has lost due
to bailouts, then losing tens of
thousands of dollars for my family,”
said Perez, who went to the rally
with her sister, a UTPA alum.
She choked up when discussing
how these events have impacted her
family.
“Right now I’m here to represent
my family, who has been treated
unfairly, cheated by corporations,
by the government, by Perry, by
everyone,” she said.
Adam Nieto, a UTPA graduate
with a bachelor’s in political
science and a master’s in public
administration, also attended the
rally due to personal reasons.
Nieto explained that “We are
the 99 percent” refers to the fact that
1 percent of the population controls
between one-fifth and one-quarter
of the nation’s wealth. He feels he is
part of this rest, or the relative havenots.
“The upper crust is controlling
the government through their
corporations and their money,”
Nieto said. “I am part of the middle
class. I’ve lived poor and grew up
into the middle class and I am
educated and I’m wanting to do
what’s best for the people and for
my future children. We start it now,
so future generations won’t have to
fight it later.”
He went on to explain that the
“99 percent” is a diverse group,
many of whom are still in a poor
financial state despite having
an education. This problem is
evident in the 9.1 percent national
unemployment rate, as reported by
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In addition, there seems to be no
solution as of yet: President Barack
Obama’s American Jobs Act was
filibustered by Senate Republicans
Tuesday.
“It’s nearly impossible to find
a job because of the economy,”
Nieto said. “I sent in nearly a
hundred applications and have
yet to get an interview. The
wealthy want to export a lot of
jobs to other countries, but they
need to bring them here to the
United States.”
After the march, the attendees
returned to the park and were
free to speak on stage. David
Anshen, an associate professor

with the Department of English,
sympathized with the plights of
Nieto and Perez but pinpointed a
broader issue as the main focus of
his argument.
“I think it’s important we talk
about what the real problem is,”
Anshen said. “The problem, in
my opinion, with no disrespect to
other people’s comments, is not
merely Wall Street and not merely
Rick Perry. I think the problems
go much, much deeper. These are
symptoms of the problem. And the
only way we are going to solve this
problem is to recognize and begin a
process of sustained struggle. What
is the problem? Capitalism.”
He went on to describe specific
issues that brought many people to
the rally.
“The problem is that jobs,
health care, basic human rights
are only available if a small class of
people can make profit off of it,”
he said. “They underestimate us
and think we will take it forever.
They think they can take us and
make our quality of life deteriorate.”
THE OFFSHOOT
Many of the McAllen protesters
said they showed up to demonstrate
solidarity with the original protests
in Wall Street, or going on that same
day across the country.
Occupy Wall Street started
when about 1,000 people gathered
in New York City Sept. 17 in
response to an idea put forth three
months prior in the Canadian anticonsumerist magazine AdBusters.
Similar to the Arab Spring in the
Middle East, the movement gained
momentum through social media
and jumped onto news pages
through dramatic videos depicting
police violence against protesters.
As time passed, the crowd swelled
and Occupy spread to other cities,
including Houston, San Antonio,
Austin and now McAllen.
Like Occupy Wall Street,
Occupy McAllen spread its word
through social media, like Facebook
and Twitter.
Unlike the original Occupy
Wall Street, it was a relatively small
crowd, only about 200 supporters
came out to the event. The march
and subsequent speeches were
carried out peacefully with no police
involvement.
Something the McAllen group
did have in common with its
inspirational forefathers, however,
was the diversity of opinion on
problems and solutions.
With
members
of
the
organization having varying goals
and problems, the effectiveness
of Occupy McAllen, and the
movement from which it sprung
(Occupy Wall Street), are being
questioned.
Michael Kazin, a professor at

Georgetown University and author
of “American Dreamers: How the
Left Changed a Nation,” believes
that a movement needs a leader
or recognizable figure in order to
succeed.
“Flexibility
can
produce
incoherence,” he recently told USA
Today. “At some point, people
are going to say, ‘I can’t listen to
everyone.’”
But Madeline Smither, who
graduated in the summer from
UTPA with a degree in journalism,
thinks the movement can still be
effective through rallies and other
public demonstrations.
“I hope that people see a
sign or people hear a chant that
actually affects them and actually
gets to them and makes them
want to get online and do a little
research, go out and vote for
somebody else, go tell a friend
what’s going on,” Smither said. “I
want word to spread.”
She went on to describe how
this is especially important for
Deep South Texas. With a 12.6
percent unemployment rate in
the
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
area, it is evident that parts of the
Valley are being affected more
profoundly by the economy than
other parts of Texas (which has an
8.5 percent unemployment rate as
of September).
“I definitely think it’s important
to bring this movement to the
Valley,” she said. “People don’t even
see us on the map and we’re here
and we have a voice and we need to
use it.”
Naomi Klein, author of “The
Shock Doctrine: The Rise of
Disaster Capitalism,” spoke recently
to protesters about the beginnings
and follies of smaller movements
such as Occupy McAllen.
“It is a fact of the Information
Age that too many movements
spring up like beautiful flowers but
quickly die off,” she said recently
in an Associated Press article. “It’s
because they don’t have roots. And
they don’t have long-term plans
for how they are going to sustain
themselves. So when storms come,
they get washed away.”
But Occupy McAllen is not
without plans. The day after the
initial rally, many protesters returned
to the streets for McAllen’s monthly
Art Walk. In addition, members
have also suggested sit-ins and sleepins at Archer Park, but these events
have not been confirmed.
UTPA student Jay Zuniga has
also proposed an Occupy McAllen
club at the University, but no
further plans have been confirmed.
One event that has been
confirmed by the organization is
the Occupy Brownsville rally, which
will take place Oct. 15 from 10 a.m.
to 12:30 p.m. at Washington Park.

CHECK
ONLINE
VIDEO

visit:
panamericanonline.com/multimedia for an exclusive video report on Occupy McAllen.

When Marlon Duran, member of
the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender/
Transsexual (LGBT) Alliance, “came
out” to his mother in sixth grade, he
never imagined he would be part of the
beginning of a movement that would last
for years to come.
“I asked her, ‘Mom, is there anything
wrong with being gay?’ and she told me,
no,” said Duran, a junior at the University
double majoring in biology and political
science. “So I felt confident and I told
her that I was gay and I didn’t get the
reaction I thought I would. She wasn’t
mad or anything, but she thought I was
confused. But ever since then, I tried to
convince her that I wasn’t just confused.
I was gay. And she finally accepted it
around high school.”
National Coming Out Day
(NCOD) takes place on Oct. 11
every year as part of National Coming
Out Week. In addition, the month of
October is recognized as LGBT History
Month, which observes lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender history and the
history of the gay rights and related civil
rights movements. NCOD was founded
in 1988 Robert Eichberg, founder of
the personal growth workshop, the
Experience, and Jean O’Leary, an openly
gay political leader and then head of the
National Gay Rights Advocates.
Duran believes this is a significant day
for many LGBT students, considering
the struggles many face prior to openly
admitting their sexual orientation and/or
gender identity to friends and family.
“It’s very important because even a
few years ago, it was very different,” he

said. “For me it was very difficult growing
up and always constantly knowing there
was a part of myself I had to hide and that
I couldn’t tell anyone about it. I couldn’t
tell my friends, my family because I was
afraid I would be ridiculed or even hurt,
and we have progressed so much as a
society…the significance of this day is so
important because it sends the message to
LGBT youth that it’s OK to be who you
are and it’s OK to express yourself, you
don’t need to hide who you are.”
He feels very fortunate to have
had the support of family and peers,
who were accepting when he openly
announced he was gay the summer
between eighth grade and freshmen
year. This is not the case with every
“coming out” story. According to a 2006
report, 26 percent of LGBT youth who
come out to their parents are told to
leave home.
“I am very lucky. I know a lot of
people who came out and their parents
kicked them out of their house and that’s
horrible,” he said. “People shouldn’t
have children if they can’t love them and
accept them for who they are.”
While Duran did not face many
external issues for being gay, he still had
to deal with the internal struggle between
his faith and sexual orientation - an issue
he believes many LGBT youths have to
handle.
“I was raised Catholic. And I
thought there was something really
wrong with me,” he said. “I would cry
and ask God why I was this way. But then
I realized there wasn’t anything wrong
with me. A lot of people in the LGBT
community struggle with that: their
spirituality and the compatibility of their
sexual orientation with their religion.”

THE VIEW FROM FAITH
This struggle is not lost on religious
communities. Lily Sanchez, a member
of the Baptist Student Ministry (BSM)
on campus had never heard of NCOD
until recently, but offered a spiritual
perspective on the matter.
“Homosexuality is a sin,” Sanchez,
a senior biology major, said. “It isn’t
the worst sin. There are worse sins.
People always point (accusingly) at
the homosexual or the verse that says
homosexuality is an abomination. But
so are liars, so are murderers, so are
people who gossip. God loves them all.
Basically, the main thing is that it’s not
the person God hates, it’s the sin.”
Another member of BSM, Noel
Lazo, agrees with her and adds that the
teachings of the Bible are very clear on
the matter: romantic relations should
exist only between men and women.
“The most important thing is
our relationship with God and God’s
relationship with us. Hence, it’s the
same thing in marriage,” said Lazo, a
student at Rio Grande Bible Institute.
“God created a man and a woman to
reflect the all-important purpose of life.
Husband and wife is the most beautiful
thing in the world, and it reflects the
relationship between God and his
people. I believe the Bible is clear about
that.”
However, even without total
support from everyone, Duran is
confident in the LGBT community and
its future.
“The future is looking very bright,”
he said. “I’m not trying to downplay
the homophobia that still exists, but it
feels great to be part of the LGBT
community during this time.”

Chinese delegation
visits UTPA

By Alma E. Hernandez
The Pan American

The University of Texas-Pan American
hosted six special guests Monday from
China, as delegates from Shandong
Normal University came to campus
to talk with UTPA about an exchange
program the universities will soon be
participating in.
The 2+2 program, which is still
under development, will give students
an opportunity to earn dual degrees from
SDNU and UTPA by studying at each
university for two years to earn a double
bachelor’s degree. This is the first program
of its kind at UTPA.
On Monday the delegates spent the
day touring campus and speaking with
deans and representatives from each
college, trying to figure out which degrees
will be the best fit with SDNU’s students.
Yvonne T. Quintanilla, director of

international programs and one of the
driving forces behind implementing the
program, thinks it’s is a step in the right
direction for the University.
“I think it’s really important for us
to share, this opportunity is a first step
in moving towards an international
institution,” she explained. “We need to
make this the mecca, we need to make this
the international university.”
During Monday’s visit President
Robert Nelsen greeted the Chinese faculty
and stressed the importance of bringing
programs like this to the school.
“As you walk across campus, you
will see arches in all of the building and
that is about bridging cultures,” he told
the assembled group of six. “About
connecting two cultures together and
it is very essential that we have those
opportunities. That we’re able to bridge
cultures and get to know other cultures,
so partnerships with your university, with

The LGBT Alliance will not be
active until further notice, due to
one of its officers not completing risk
management training. But members
will complete this week’s events for
National Coming Out Week.
“I feel even though the organization

might not be active for a few months,
we’re going to come back,” Duran said.
“And I think it’s the most exciting time
in LGBT history because this is the time
we’re seeing a lot of the returns and gains
from the efforts that so many LGBT
people have put in.”

Francisco Rodriguez/THE PAN AMERICAN

other universities and with China are
essential for us to serve our mission.
“Our students are wonderful.
We have 19,000 students. Of those,
89 percent of them are Hispanic, of
Mexican-American origin. They come
with a distinct culture themselves and
are looking to embrace other cultures.”
SDNU is located in Jinan, the
capital of the Shandong Province. It was
founded in 1950 as Shandong Normal
College and morphed through name
Reynaldo Leal/THE PAN AMERICAN
changes until becoming Shandong
Normal University in 1981. It has GLOBAL UNIVERSITY - UTPA President Robert Nelsen discusses
23 established colleges offering 76 future relations with Chinese Shandong Normal University faculty
doctoral degrees, 177 master’s degrees over breakfast in the Education Building Monday.
and 72 bachelor’s degrees. Full-time
Science Xi Chen, began discussions beyond the Valley, Texas and the U.S.
enrollment is 37,000 students, about
as many as Texas State or the University in the spring to develop the program. to be exposed to an international
The greatest benefit, in her eyes, will be environment,” she said. “This will greatly
of Houston.
broaden their horizon and prepare them
With the support of the provost’s for students.
“First of all, it will offer precious for future world leadership in the age
office and the Office of International
Programs, Associate Professor of Political opportunities to our students to go of globalization.”

By Daniella Diaz
The Pan American
The UTPA Sierra Club recently
joined politicians, concerned citizens
and other environmental groups in
protesting TransCanada’s plan to expand
the Keystone XL pipeline to Oklahoma
and Port Arthur, Texas.
The protesters believe that the
expansion of the pipeline, which
currently transports synthetic crude
oil from Alberta, Canada, to Illinois,
will pollute the environment and harm
indigenous peoples.
Jacqueline Ho-Shing, UTPA Sierra
Club campus representative, teamed up
with fellow student and friend Christina
Alvarez to spread the word on campus
about the situation after learning about
the issue at a Sierra training over the
summer.
“I went to a training in Louisiana…
this environmental training called
SPROG. It’s hosted by the Sierra Club,
and from there I met the director of
the student section of the Sierra Club
and he told me about this pipeline that
is planning to be built that would end
up in Port Arthur,” Ho-Shing said.
“So from there, from the beginning of
August ‘til now, we’ve been campaigning
to let people know about this pipeline
and to go to the hearings that (the
government) was having in Port Arthur
and in Austin to say why we’re against
the pipeline.”
The Sierra Club is recognized as
one of the largest environmental
organizations in the country, with
chapters at many universities. The
group is known for national activist
work, and lately has focused on moving
the country beyond dependence on
oil and coal. The organization also
promotes clean air and water and the

prevention of pollution. The training
camp called SPROG is a leadership and
informational event that educates high
school and college students on ways to
start movements and run campaigns
pertaining to environmental issues.
“We were born into this world and
it’s our job to fix it,” said Alvarez, who
is majoring in English and philosophy.
“We were left with this mess but we have
to clean it up. It’s our responsibility.”
Construction of the original
pipeline started in 2008 and became
operational in 2010. According to the
U.S. Department of State website,
TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, LP
filed an application in 2008 for a
presidential permit to build and operate
the extension of the pipeline.
According to the Perryman Group
Study available on TransCanada’s
website, the pipeline project is
expected to directly create more than
20,000 high-wage manufacturing
and construction jobs by 2012 across
the country. Also, the states along the
pipeline route are expected to be able
to collect an additional $5.2 billion
in property taxes during the estimated
operating life of 100 years.
The two UTPA students said they
understood the economic implications
of the pipeline but would rather create
jobs with alternative energy research.
“We understand that (the world)
needs oil but at the same time we want
to push to search long-term solutions,”
Ho-Shing said.
However,
the
national
environmentalist organization Friends
of the Earth released information that
argued the extension of the structure by
1,700 miles would create water waste,
affect indigenous populations, pollute
the air and possibly cause future oil
spills. The extended pipeline would

carry 900,000 barrels of tar sands oil
into the United States daily from a
drilling site in Canada. Friends of the
Earth representatives predict that U.S.
dependence on oil will double.
The original keystone pipeline has
already had a reported dozen spills in
less than a year of operation, although
all but two accidents resulted in fewer
than ten gallons leaked. One released
21,000 gallons and another 2,100.
Both Ho-Shing and Alvarez are
finding out that activism can be tricky.
They attended what they thought would
be a state department hearing in Port
Arthur about the pipeline a few weeks
ago to voice their concerns. But said it
was not what they expected.
“It turned out that it was just
a company hired by TransCanada
… they hired them because they
specialize in getting things approved
in environmental issues, apparently.
We basically found out it was just a
farce,” Alvarez said. “It was also our
fault because we didn’t do any further
research (on the event), but it was also
just a big slap in the face.”
A spokesman for TransCanada
said the girls were mistaken about
the meeting.
“Those are Department of State
meetings run by the Department of
State,” he said. “The meeting allowed
anyone who wanted to speak to sign up
and register and then they did a roll call.
You were allowed to speak for two to
five minutes. We didn’t take part.”
The Department of State is
conducting an environmental review
of the project under the National
Environmental Policy Act (1969).
President Barack Obama is expected to
make a decision about the construction
permit of the pipeline by the end of this
year.

Expected pipeline extension benefits:

20,000
High-wage jobs
over the
course of

$5.2 billion

100

Reynaldo Leal/The Pan American

oil boom - A major portion of the proposed Keystone Pipeline
expansion will run through East Texas to the Gulf of Mexico.
The pipeline is projected to carry 900,000 barrels of oil into the
U.S. daily from Canada.

Existing pipeline leaked 12 times in a year
Number of minor spills (<20 gallons)

Number of major spills

in property taxes

Years

2,100 gallons

216

21,000
Karen Villarreal/The Pan American

Page 6

By Michael Saenz
The Pan American
The madness is here, finally. After a long summer of
few headlines from the basketball squads, it is officially
time to kick off the 2011-2012 season.
Midnight Madness is an annual national event on
college campuses that celebrates the first official day that
the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
allows official basketball practices to begin. For the
Broncs it will take place Friday in the Field House
at 9:30 p.m. At the glorified pep rally, the basketball
teams will be introduced for the first time to fans and
will perform the first short scrimmage during the event
as well.
“I think that Midnight Madness is an opportunity to showcase our basketball teams and our campus
organizations,” said Andrew Haring, senior associate athletic director for external operations. “We want
this excitement and enthusiasm to continue through
the season. We want to attract people to attend our
athletic activities.”
Leading into the madness on Friday is “Spirit
Week,” which began Monday. It includes events each
day of the week that promote campus involvement and
enthusiasm. On Sunday things kicked off with “Paint
the Campus Green,” Monday featured “Bongo Ball
Mania,” Tuesday offered an Athletics Photo Meet and
Greet, and Wednesday had a Majors Fair. Thursday

THE PAN AMERICAN

there will be a Spirit Rally at noon in the
Quad followed by a Bronc volleyball game
at 7 p.m. that will honor Breast Cancer
Awareness month. Friday will conclude
the week with the UTPA Tailgate Party
starting at 5 p.m. followed by Midnight
Madness at 9:30 p.m.
“During the entire spirit week we
have great things for the students,” Haring said. “But the four things that we
really wanted to hit and get people to
attend were the meet and greet with the
athletes on Tuesday, the Spirit Rally
on Thursday, the volleyball game on
Thursday night, and of course Midnight Madness.”
The game against Utah Valley State
will take place at 7 p.m. and will feature the women wearing pink in honor
of Breast Cancer Awareness month.
There will also be a special performance by a few student organizations that will prep for the dance
competition to take place on
Friday night.
The various elements of
Spirit Week are just side
items when it comes to the
celebration that Midnight

October 13, 2011

October 13, 2011

THE PAN AMERICAN

Madness brings. Friday night is filled with
many activities that will keep the audience intrigued.
“(Midnight Madness) is going to be about
the same schedule as last year. We are going to
have dance competitions, scrimmages, and a few
contests,” Haring said. “And of course we will
have the tailgate party before. During the tailgate party, which is outside the Field House,
we will be having a fajita cookoff and student
organizations distributing material. We also expect the coaches and players to hang out with
the fans too.”
The night is scheduled to begin with performances from the cheerleaders and dance
team, men’s and women’s basketball team introductions, a few basketball contests, and
scrimmages to follow. There will also be
other small performances and competitions in between featuring student
organizations, including contests
of dance and of spirit. Last year
a couple of the basketball contests were the slam-dunk contest and a battle of the sexes
three-point shootout.
Even though Midnight
Madness is an on-campus
event and very popular

Page 7

among students, UTPA is not limiting the event for
just them.
“We not only are encouraging the students to attend, but we would also welcome the community. It’s
very much a public event,” Haring admits. “Our advantage is that it is popular with the students.”
Once the madness is over, the basketball teams can
get together with coaches, who have up to this point
have been in a separate universe for the most part.
“This is a great conclusion to Spirit Week where
we highlight the passion of our fans that we have on
campus,” Haring said. “It also basically marks the first
time that both basketball teams can officially have a
full practice.”
Midnight Madness is also one opportunity in
which UTPA shares a tradition with all the other
universities in the nation. No matter how big or how
small the school may be everyone celebrates the madness one way or another. In a school where there is no
football to rule basketball often takes center stage, and
Friday night is the perfect example why.
“We really feel that the (UTPA) athletics plays an
important role in on-campus involvement,” Haring
said. “Our goal is that people come out, have a great
time, be a Bronc and get loud.”
It is likely that the basketball teams will have a full
practice during the next day or so, but the men’s have
their first game on Nov. 5 while the women’s season
starts a day sooner; both games are at home.

PHOTOS BY Alma E. Hernandez/THE PAN AMERICAN

Page 6

By Michael Saenz
The Pan American
The madness is here, finally. After a long summer of
few headlines from the basketball squads, it is officially
time to kick off the 2011-2012 season.
Midnight Madness is an annual national event on
college campuses that celebrates the first official day that
the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
allows official basketball practices to begin. For the
Broncs it will take place Friday in the Field House
at 9:30 p.m. At the glorified pep rally, the basketball
teams will be introduced for the first time to fans and
will perform the first short scrimmage during the event
as well.
“I think that Midnight Madness is an opportunity to showcase our basketball teams and our campus
organizations,” said Andrew Haring, senior associate athletic director for external operations. “We want
this excitement and enthusiasm to continue through
the season. We want to attract people to attend our
athletic activities.”
Leading into the madness on Friday is “Spirit
Week,” which began Monday. It includes events each
day of the week that promote campus involvement and
enthusiasm. On Sunday things kicked off with “Paint
the Campus Green,” Monday featured “Bongo Ball
Mania,” Tuesday offered an Athletics Photo Meet and
Greet, and Wednesday had a Majors Fair. Thursday

THE PAN AMERICAN

there will be a Spirit Rally at noon in the
Quad followed by a Bronc volleyball game
at 7 p.m. that will honor Breast Cancer
Awareness month. Friday will conclude
the week with the UTPA Tailgate Party
starting at 5 p.m. followed by Midnight
Madness at 9:30 p.m.
“During the entire spirit week we
have great things for the students,” Haring said. “But the four things that we
really wanted to hit and get people to
attend were the meet and greet with the
athletes on Tuesday, the Spirit Rally
on Thursday, the volleyball game on
Thursday night, and of course Midnight Madness.”
The game against Utah Valley State
will take place at 7 p.m. and will feature the women wearing pink in honor
of Breast Cancer Awareness month.
There will also be a special performance by a few student organizations that will prep for the dance
competition to take place on
Friday night.
The various elements of
Spirit Week are just side
items when it comes to the
celebration that Midnight

October 13, 2011

October 13, 2011

THE PAN AMERICAN

Madness brings. Friday night is filled with
many activities that will keep the audience intrigued.
“(Midnight Madness) is going to be about
the same schedule as last year. We are going to
have dance competitions, scrimmages, and a few
contests,” Haring said. “And of course we will
have the tailgate party before. During the tailgate party, which is outside the Field House,
we will be having a fajita cookoff and student
organizations distributing material. We also expect the coaches and players to hang out with
the fans too.”
The night is scheduled to begin with performances from the cheerleaders and dance
team, men’s and women’s basketball team introductions, a few basketball contests, and
scrimmages to follow. There will also be
other small performances and competitions in between featuring student
organizations, including contests
of dance and of spirit. Last year
a couple of the basketball contests were the slam-dunk contest and a battle of the sexes
three-point shootout.
Even though Midnight
Madness is an on-campus
event and very popular

Page 7

among students, UTPA is not limiting the event for
just them.
“We not only are encouraging the students to attend, but we would also welcome the community. It’s
very much a public event,” Haring admits. “Our advantage is that it is popular with the students.”
Once the madness is over, the basketball teams can
get together with coaches, who have up to this point
have been in a separate universe for the most part.
“This is a great conclusion to Spirit Week where
we highlight the passion of our fans that we have on
campus,” Haring said. “It also basically marks the first
time that both basketball teams can officially have a
full practice.”
Midnight Madness is also one opportunity in
which UTPA shares a tradition with all the other
universities in the nation. No matter how big or how
small the school may be everyone celebrates the madness one way or another. In a school where there is no
football to rule basketball often takes center stage, and
Friday night is the perfect example why.
“We really feel that the (UTPA) athletics plays an
important role in on-campus involvement,” Haring
said. “Our goal is that people come out, have a great
time, be a Bronc and get loud.”
It is likely that the basketball teams will have a full
practice during the next day or so, but the men’s have
their first game on Nov. 5 while the women’s season
starts a day sooner; both games are at home.

PHOTOS BY Alma E. Hernandez/THE PAN AMERICAN

8

October 13, 2011

FEMALE
Hey,
Miss
Dee
jay
PICKS
ICKS
OF THE WEEK
Film

Female disc jockeys in the Valley
few and far between

By Dimitra Hernandez
The Pan American

The Museum of South Texas
History will host a screening
of classic Mexican ﬁlm,
“Macario” Sunday at 2 p.m.
with
screenwriter
Alvaro
Rodriguez. Admission is free to
the public.

Theater

The South Texas College
Theater Department will perform
“Dracula” at the Cooper Center
for Performing Arts from Oct. 13
through Oct. 16. All performances
begin at 8 p.m. Admission is $5
for students and $10 for public.

Music

RockStar Vintage will host a
live rock show Friday from 7
p.m. to 11 p.m. at their location
at 808 W. University Dr.
Admission is free to the public.

Organization
rganization

There’s more to Sandra Gaurdiola then
meets the eye. The 23-year-old Hooters
waitress has a passion that not too many
girls her age acquire: trying to become
a professional deejay. Now if she could
only get the chance to show off her skills.
“This one promoter considered hiring
me as a deejay but only if I’d wear a
bathing suit doing it,” said Guardiola, an
up-and-coming music-maker also known
as DJ Champagne. “I told him, ‘Thanks,
but no thanks. I’d rather wear clothes.’”
The Edinburg resident is originally
from Monterrey, Mexico, and while
struggling to find a gig she still keeps her
skills sharp and hopes high.
“I felt bad because he wanted to use
me in a different way, not for my music,”
Guardiola said of the “offer.” “The thing
is, I just need a serious opportunity to
show my skills.”
Guardiola remembers the first time
she touched a turntable. She was hooked.
“I started when I was 21 years old.
Back then I was dating a guy who
had a deejay for a roommate,”
Guardiola recalled. “I started
to mess around with his
turntables and that’s what
sparked my interest, but
I’ve always wanted to be
in music, ever since I
was a little girl.”
Guardiola enjoys
coming up with
innovative ways to
mix music but lacks
proper equipment. She
spent four months
saving $1,800 for a
set of pink turntables
and headphones, but
the up-and-comer
still has to borrow
speakers from the
people she spins for.
“When
I
practice
my
music, I hook
up
my

auxiliary cord to my computer and connect
that to the TV,” she laughed. “Because I don’t
have party speakers, when I deejay at parties,
I’ll use their speakers instead.”
Guardiola enjoys listening to
FunkMaster Flex, a prominent hip-hop
deejay from New York, and suggests
that deejaying is the most important
component to any party/club scene.
“Deejaying isn’t just about putting a
track of music on your iPod,” she said.
“You need to pump up the people and get
them going to have a good time. It’s what
they’re there for.”

BREAKING GROUND
Gabriel Cabrera, a 24-year-old UTPA
senior and promoter at Woodreaux’s
Cajun Bar and Grill in Edinburg, knows
the importance of a good deejay. As a
regular at Hooters, he and Guardiola
exchange feedback about the club scene.
“Deejays are the ones keeping the
people there,” said Cabrera, an engineering
major at the University. “If the drinks
stop, people might still stay to
enjoy the music, but if the
music stops, it’s over.”
Cabrera puts a lot
of thought into his
promotional
tactics
to make sure that
Woodreaux’s is the place
to be for students.
“College students
want to go somewhere
that gets good. That’s
the first question
they ask,” Cabrera
said. “I try to get
as many people to
go so that it does
‘get good’ and keep
it fresh in their minds
about upcoming events.
Facebook has helped a lot
with posting the events.”

Cabrera takes pleasure in helping new
deejays find their way in the business
he’s been promoting since early summer.
However, he has not come across too
many female deejays.
“It would be great to see more female
deejays, but in the Valley, there’s very
few,” he said. “When it happens, I’m sure
people will jump on the idea because it’s
so new. For now I think that there’s just
fewer girls in that realm. I don’t see too
many girls looking to be deejays, but I’m
sure they could if they wanted.”
According Krystal Hernandez, a107.9
Mix F.M. deejay, deejaying for a local
radio station is easy once you’re in. The
22-year-old met the station’s veteran
voice DJ Alex at a meet-and-greet, and
he encouraged Hernandez to apply.
“It took a good two months because they
weren’t hiring at the time, but every two
weeks he’d have me go in and record myself,”
said the broadcast journalism major.
Soon enough Hernandez was hired
and it was time to begin work.
“It freaked me out because as soon as I
got hired Alex was like, ‘You’re going on
tonight.’ I was super scared,” Hernandez
recalled. “I remember that first night
I didn’t even want to push the button
to go on, and the adrenaline was crazy.
I was hot and shaking. The feeling of
nervousness is gone. Now I know what
I’m doing.”
Hernandez too regrets to say that she
hasn’t come across female deejays that
mix their own music. She sees this in her
work environment, as well.
“When I go into work it’s me, and the rest
of the people there are mostly guys,” she said.
Despite that, she too keeps her skills
sharp to keep her listeners intrigued.
“I think you have to be entertaining
overall, do give-a-ways and keep it fun,
also, be informative,” Hernandez advised.
“Whenever I talk on air, I like to pertain
it to something local, like an event we’re
having. I also like to go on the Internet
and find stuff on people to talk about so
it’s not boring.”
Meanwhile Guardiola keeps
perfecting her routine with an even
bigger smile on her face, despite
negative comments from promoters, as
she waits for the opportunity to shine.
“Everybody gives me a confused look
like, ‘Are you kidding me right now?’”
Guardiola said. “But I’m 23, I love to
deejay and I will pursue it to the fullest.”

Frank Rodriguez/THE PAN AMERICAN

PIONEERS IN MUSIC

1979
Sylvia Robinson
co-founded Sugar Hill
Records

1988
MC Lyte

became the ﬁrst
female rapper signed
to a major label

1990
Selena’s

“Ven Conmigo” was
the ﬁrst Tejano album
by a female singer to
reach gold status

mp3
2011
Katy Perry

became the ﬁrst singer
since Michael Jackson
to have ﬁve #1 singles
on one album
Karen Villarreal/THE PAN AMERICAN

ONLINE
The UTPA Indian Cultural
Association will hold its ﬁrst
meeting Oct. 19 at noon in the
Science Building, room 2.228.
Members will discuss upcoming
events and fundraisers.

Dance ensemble performs to
Caribbean rhythms for a Hispanic
Heritage Month Celebration. Look
for the story and photo on Friday
at panamericanonline.com.

In brief; Wind Ensemble
performs ﬁrst of three
concerts of the semester.
Check online for upcoming
performance dates.

By Nadia Tamez-Robledo
The Pan American
As graduate student Sandra Salinas
drew a soil auger, a geological tool
used to collect soil samples, from
the ground at the Palo Alto National
Historical Battlefield, UTPA professor
Russell Skowronek reached for the clot
of dirt.
“What have we got? What does it
taste like today?” he asked, breaking
off a bit of the dark earth as the
surrounding children grimaced and
giggled. “I taste silt.”
Salinas, Skowronek and other members
of Community Historical Archaeological
Project with Schools
(CHAPS)
made
the
cross-Valley
trip to Brownsville
Saturday to help local
children get their
hands dirty at the fifth
annual Rio Grande
Delta
International
Archaeological Fair.
“People are coming
for archeology and
history, and this proves
that archaeology sells,”
Skowronek said.
CHAPS aims to
educate Valleyites about
the region’s cultural and
natural history. Faculty
and student volunteers
for the UTPA-based
program have taken
archeology
to
K-12
classrooms
throughout
Hidalgo County and
events like HESTEC and
FESTIBA since 2009.
Volunteers set up three
stations Saturday in the
white- and green-topped
ring of tents at the edge of
the field where the first battle of the
U.S.-Mexican War was fought 165
years ago.
“We teach kids that it’s not just
where you live,” said Maria Vallejo,
a UTPA graduate history student.
“It’s a place you can discover and find

interesting.”
While her fellow volunteers led
an activity on ceramic artifacts,
Vallejo spoke to attendees about
land grants in present-day Hidalgo
County that were awarded to families
by the Spanish crown in the 1700s
and 1800s.
“We try to help students discover
the RGV and their history,” she
said. “Sometimes it’s lost in the big
U.S. perspective.”
Vallejo is enrolled in the “CHAPS
class,” an interdisciplinary course
called Rediscovering the Rio Grande
Valley. Faculty take turns

and Northern Mexico. History and
philosophy professor Sonia Hernandez
is leading students as they research
the Spanish land grants on which the
University now stands.
“You get a circle of events that affects
the border on both sides,” Vallejo said
of what she has learned in the course.
“I love history, [and] I love learning
about where I live.”
In addition to community
outreach, students who volunteer
with CHAPS, largely members
of the Anthropology Club, have
taken a role in

teaching students about
South Texas through the lenses of their
various specialties, which span from
history to the hard sciences.
Physics and geology professor Juan
Gonzalez heads research that takes a
look at how the Rio Grande has moved
back and forth across the United States

unearthing the archaeological sites
being studied in the Valley. Last May
they took up metal detectors alongside
the National Park Service to study the
Palo Alto battlefield, picking up on
everything from buttons to cannon
balls that litter the plain.
“You can see the movement of
the armies in a very detailed way

because when an army goes into a
place, thing are lost, and they can
help use reconstruct the battle,”
Skowronek explained. “[Soldiers]
tasted battle for the first time here,
and the last battle of the Civil War
was right over there.”
Archaeology Club president and
graduate student Sandra Salinas was
among those who traced the steps of
the battle. She also participated in a
mapping of Fort Brown in Brownsville,
a Civil War-era stronghold that now
lies beneath a golf course.
“With all the technology we
used to do the mapping, we were
actually able to find Fort Brown,
so it was a really good day,” the
Edinburg native said. “That’s
really cool to be able to say, ‘I
helped in that.’”
Salinas added that CHAPS
gives
students
interested
in archaeology something
more valuable than just
volunteer hours.
“It’s just a great thing for
us since we don’t have a field
school, it gives us hands-on
experience so that when we
do start as archaeologists,
we have that experience,”
she said.
Skowronek hopes that
CHAPS will eventually be
partly housed at Sharyland
Estate, similar to UTPA’s
satellite lab at South
Padre Island. He said the
off-campus site would
enhance their community
outreach abilities.
In the meantime,
Skowronek, a former
professor at Santa Clara
University in California, said he‘s
looking forward to seeing the program
and the research by faculty and staff
continue.
“I knew when I came here…this
place screamed ‘potential,’” he said.
“It is a neglected part of the state, and
if you think about it, it’s not part of
the state. And you know what? I like
it that way.”